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Residents urge Mountain View to favor natural grass over artificial turf, citing health and environmental concerns
Summary
Two residents addressed the Environmental Planning Commission during oral communications urging the city to avoid artificial turf in parks and playfields and offering to provide research and a formal presentation; speakers cited a Sunnyvale decision to keep natural grass and referred to a county discussion on a turf ban.
Two residents used the meeting’s oral communications period to ask the commission to consider restricting artificial turf in local parks and recreation projects.
Andrea Wald, co‑founder of Community for Natural Place Surfaces, introduced herself and said her group educates public and private stakeholders on the harms of artificial turf and other synthetic materials. “Artificial turf is not good for us and I’d love to know that Mountain View is interested in hearing more,” she said, offering to submit her materials and to present more formally to city groups.
Bruce England, of Green Spaces Mountain View and the Mountain View Coalition for Sustainable Planning, spoke in support and urged the commission to consider citywide guidance rather than project‑by‑project decisions. England noted related regional actions: Sunnyvale recently decided to keep natural grass for a park renovation, and a county‑level proposed ban on artificial turf did not pass; he pointed out that Supervisor Margaret Abe‑Koga voted for the county proposal.
Speakers asked staff for a point of contact; Diana Pancholi, principal planner and staff liaison to the commission, advised speakers to contact transportation planner Ben Pacho for further information about existing TDM‑related projects and monitoring, and to email staff for follow‑up. The commission did not take action on the comments; staff said relevant plans such as the parks and recreation strategic plan, biodiversity strategy and urban forest plan are pending drafts and may inform future park‑surface decisions.
The oral communications period is reserved for non‑agenda items; state law generally prevents the commission from acting on topics not scheduled on the agenda.
No formal action was taken on the turf issue at the meeting.
